Reading book reviews is mostly for building lists for when you're a little short on inspiration. That was my case. I didn't know where I got the recommendation from, I didn't know what he was talking about, but his reviews were glowing. And rightly so. But there is a but.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The premise is fantastic. The narrator, Jack, is a child, just turned five, and he is celebrating his birthday with his mother. He plays with her all day, watches TV, exercises around the bed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gradually, we feel that something is wrong. Jack never leaves the room. Neither does the mother. For food, they rely on a man who makes his rounds every Sunday. The mother obviously doesn't like him, and hides Jack in the closet every time. Jack counts the number of squick-squicks they make on the bed, then the man leaves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One day, the mother raises her voice, and to punish her, the man cuts off the power to the room. The frozen beans thawed and were left without heat or light for days. The mother decides that enough is enough. They will run away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n